Hey neighbors, happy Thursday.

Today’s email comes to ya from the Peach State. I’m visiting family and getting some beach time. Man, if you leave NYC for too long, you really get used to cheaper prices. My checking account sure is enjoying the break 😅

I do miss NYC for the food, tho. We grabbed dinner one night at a taco cantina (meh) and they were advertising 50% margaritas as BOGO. Smart marketing. Can’t beat $6 for two margaritas. Anywho 👇

💵 For sale: 20-year old Manhattan med spa asks $4.5M. Prime real estate included. 2,836 sq ft. $866K cash flow on $1.36M revenue. 7-person staff. Turn-key operation. Buy it.

🌮 Hot spot: Dolores cantina in Bed-Stuy (397 Tompkins Ave). Mexico City vibes from Winona's owners. Leyenda alum Leanne Favre mixing agave cocktails. $2 basket tacos Fri/Sat 11pm till sellout. Vamos.

💿 This weekend: Brooklyn Flea Record Fair returns Sept 20, 11am-6pm at Smorgasburg Williamsburg. 40+ record labels and collectors. All-day vinyl sale. Free entry, all ages. DJ lineup all day. Dig in.

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Nasdaq | $22,489.66 | +16.64% 🟢

S&P 500 | $6,638.31 | +13.12% 🟢

Bitcoin | $117,550.30 | +25.77% 🟢

Profit Profiles are stories about NYC entrepreneurs building and running profitable side hustles and full-time businesses.

How it started: "All the shops were closed during COVID, I hadn't had a haircut in five months, and I looked like Tarzan. One day I grabbed a Braun 9 Series and just started cutting myself. At first I butchered it, but I kept practicing until I got better."

The turning point: After getting laid off and losing his dad, he felt called to barbering. "Spiritually, I was in a dark place. That's when I felt God calling me to pick up the clippers. I leaned on my mantras: “At the end of pain is success.” On the days I didn’t want to get out of bed, I reminded myself, “It gets greater later.” And when I questioned why I had to struggle, I told myself, “There’s beauty in the struggle.”

Revenue trajectory:

Business model breakdown:

Low startup investment: $2-3K total for clippers, licenses, and marketing. "Barbering is a low-barrier business, but scaling requires serious money."

First customers: He Cut hair for homeless folks through a school partnership with a shelter. "Homeless folks got free haircut vouchers, regular people could pay $3. That's where I got my first reps. It humbled me and showed me cutting hair wasn't just about looks, it was about restoring dignity."

Scaling challenge: "Cutting pays, but it's still trading time for money. The vision is bigger than the chair." His focus now is landing 15-20 more mobile contracts with residencies, gyms, hospitals, and hotels.

Biggest mistake: "Trusting partnerships too quickly. I once handed over 20+ leads to someone who never followed through. It taught me to move with wisdom and protect my pipeline."

NYC advantage: "It's both a blessing and a test. It pushes you because everybody's hungry. If I can build here, I can build anywhere. Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.”

Long-term vision: "Mobile barber vans, grooming suites, partnerships with skincare and wellness brands. I want to be an educator, teaching barbers how to blend craft, wellness, and entrepreneurship. Spiritually, I want to show people that pain isn’t the end, it’s the pathway."

Startup advice: "Start with what you've got. Don't wait for it to be perfect. My first cuts were $3 in a school gym. Now I'm building contracts worth thousands. That's the power of starting small, staying consistent, and trusting God with the process."

Check out Trigginscutz

Cash Confessionals are anonymous weekly stories where NYC locals peel back the curtain and expose their personal finances.

Living situation: I rent a three-bed, one-bath with three other people in Bed-Stuy for $3,200 total, so I pay $800 plus utilities (almost always under $850). Our landlord is amazing, doesn't raise rent, is super responsive when stuff breaks, and is even putting in a washer and dryer at no additional charge. It's a corner spot by the J, quiet street, but across from a halfway house so there can be some characters sometimes.

Career: I'm a Territory Manager in construction sales covering all of New York state, making $75k base with up to $25k in bonuses if I hit sales targets. I've gotten the max bonus the last two years, but I put it straight into my 401k or Roth. Given how lucrative sales jobs are, I'm definitely underpaid. I know people in similar positions making twice as much. I have a company car that's completely paid for (gas, tolls, insurance, everything), plus a $500 health stipend and I travel 1-2 weeks per month on the company dime.

Expenses: I do a loose budget with a savings goal and try to keep spending in line. I spend maybe $100-150/week on groceries for my partner and me, $50 on coffee, $100 going out on weekends, and $50-200 eating out. My biggest expense after rent is food.

Best money decision: Not going into debt. I didn't even have a credit card until I was 29. I paid $76,000 for college in cash by working seasonal jobs and construction.

Worst money decision: When I first moved to NYC I wanted to be jobless for a while and I burned through $10K in like 3 months and basically had nothing to show for it except I saw a lot of museums and walked around a lot.

Debt: $1,700 of a 0% interest student loan. Ironically, it's better for my credit score to keep not paying it because it's my longest held line of credit. I put stuff on my credit card and pay it off every two weeks.

Saving & investing: Last year I saved $200-400/month, this year I'm trying to save $700-900/month. I have a $10k emergency fund in a high-yield savings account and about $80k combined in my 401k and Roth. I was contributing 25% plus 75% of my bonuses to max out contributions and catch up to the advice of having 1x your salary by 30. Now I'm back down to 9% company match.

Money rules: No Uber anywhere, no DoorDash or Uber Eats at all. Cooking helps cut expenses but there's a learning curve. I try to remember how I lived when making $20/hour and not let lifestyle creep happen so I can stay focused on saving.

Splurges: I spent $900 on a surfboard, $1,000 on a camera, $1,500 on a vacation where I proposed, and $3,800 on the engagement ring. I also donate about $2,000/year to small nonprofits I believe in.

What are your long-term goals? Buy land and restore it to a natural ecosystem, then start my own land trust to preserve nature before it all gets bulldozed for suburbs. The goal is to save $100,000 in four years for a down payment on house and land, assuming housing prices don't keep exploding. I'm planning to move to a more affordable state in roughly five years. If money weren't an issue, I'd probably work for a nonprofit cultivating donors and building relationships.

Thanks for reading this week’s edition. If you have ideas for stories, know about new business coming soon, or want to do your own anonymous Cash Confessionals submission, let me know!

Josh

P.S.

Read something you like or maybe don’t like? Hit reply and let me know!